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Taylor, Sir Robert

(Encyclopedia)Taylor, Sir Robert, 1714–88, English architect. The son of a stonemason, he began his career as a sculptor's apprentice and was later employed to carve the pediment of Mansion House in London. He th...

Guérin, Jules

(Encyclopedia)Guérin, Jules gĕrˈĭn [key], 1866–1946, American mural painter and illustrator, b. St. Louis. His illustrations appeared in leading magazines. He executed decorations for the Lincoln Memorial, Wa...

Bank of Sweden Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel

(Encyclopedia)Bank of Sweden Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel: see under Nobel Prize; for a table of the winners of the prize, see Bank of Sweden Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred N...

Girard, Stephen

(Encyclopedia)Girard, Stephen jĭrärdˈ [key], 1750–1831, American merchant, banker, and philanthropist, b. Bordeaux, France. Girard went to sea and at the age of 23 was a captain. In 1776 he settled in Philadel...

Beacon

(Encyclopedia)Beacon, city (2020 pop. 14,370), Dutchess co., SE N.Y., on the E bank of the Hudson River; settled 1663, inc. in 1913 when Fishkill Landing and Matteawa...

automated teller machine

(Encyclopedia)automated teller machine (ATM), device used by bank customers to process account transactions. Typically, a user inserts into the ATM a special plastic card that is encoded with information on a magne...

credit card

(Encyclopedia)credit card, device used to obtain consumer credit at the time of purchasing an article or service. Credit cards may be issued by a business, such as a department store or an oil company, to make it e...

Palestinian Authority

(Encyclopedia)Palestinian Authority (PA) or Palestinian National Authority, interim self-government body responsible for areas of the West Bank and Gaza Strip under Palestinian control. The terrritory is officially...

Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency

(Encyclopedia)Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), specialized agency of the United Nations. Formed in 1988, with headquarters in Washington, D.C., it is a member of the World Bank Group (see Internatio...

Mogae, Festus Gontebanye

(Encyclopedia)Mogae, Festus Gontebanye 1939–, Botswanan political leader, president of Botswana (1998–2008), b. Serowe. After studying economics at Sussex and Oxford universities, he returned to Botswana, where...